Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization has arrived, and it's time to change history. Literally. It's time to put your modding skills to use, and crank out something truly cool. Do you wish there were more colonial powers? Add them in. Do you have a stellar idea for a new interface? Change it! Would the British be unstoppable with tanks? Probably, so lets try to stick to the time period, shall we?

And to give you an even bigger incentive, we will be giving away a brand new desktop computer and copies of Colonization (signed by the development team) to the winners of the contest. What we are looking for is simple: we want to see your best unique modification to the core game (no scenarios), in any of the following four categories:
  • New In-Game Assets (art, including units, buildings, terrain sets, etc.)
  • New Colonial Power/Civilizations
  • Map Scripts (just a single .py file)
  • Game Concept Changes (for example, adding specific artifacts for discovery)
The creator of the over-all winning Grand Prize entry will receive a desktop computer to show off to friends. In addition, the four runner-up submissions will receive a copy of Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization signed by the development team.

Here are some things to remember. The Grand Prize prize is awarded to an individual only, so if your mod is a team effort, the prize will only be awarded to the designated team leader. Please do not submit mods that are not yours or include third party materials. This not only makes our job harder, but also makes children cry.

The contest begins October 8, 2008, and will run through December 17, 2008, so crack your knuckles and crank out something fabulous. As an aside, this contest is U.S. only, and our lawyers have drafted up a lovely set of rules for you to follow, and an entry form for you to fill out, so be sure to check them out before starting. If you have any further questions, send them in, we’re all ears!

Happy Coding, Happy Colonizing, Happy Civ!